Groupon Reaches Class Action Lawsuit Settlement

UPDATE 2:  Claim filing instructions for the revised Groupon voucher class action settlement are now available! If you previously filed a claim for the 2012 Groupon settlement, you do not need to take any further action to receive benefits. Click here or visit www.GrouponVoucherSettlement.com for more information.

Good news for Groupon customers who have expired Groupon vouchers – they’re are valid again thanks to an $8.5 million class action lawsuit settlement over allegations the expiration dates on Groupon’s vouchers are illegal.

The Groupon class action settlement will resolve 17 lawsuits filed against Groupon that were consolidated in San Diego federal court. The Plaintiffs claimed Groupon and various retailers violated federal and state consumer protection laws by placing illegal expiration dates and other provisions on the vouchers, such as the requirement that they be used in a single transaction.

The provisions created a “sense of urgency among consumers to quickly purchase ‘Groupon’ gift certificates,” the first Groupon class action lawsuit said. “Consumers therefore feel pressured and are rushed into buying the gift certificates and unwittingly become subject to the onerous sales conditions.”

Under the proposed Groupon class action settlement, customers who bought Groupon vouchers before December 1, 2011 can either redeem them past their expiration date or, if they are unable to do so, obtain a refund from the $8.5 million class action settlement fund. Residents in some states can seek refunds only for vouchers sold after August 22, 2010, according to the proposed settlement filing.

Groupon also agreed under the class action settlement that for the next three years it will not sell more than 10 percent of its daily deals with an expiration date of less than 30 days after their issue date.

Keep checking Top Class Actions for details on how to file a claim for the Groupon Class Action Lawsuit Settlement when the information becomes available. Go to www.GrouponVoucherSettlement.com for more information on the Groupon Class Action Lawsuit Settlement.

The case is In Re: Groupon, Inc. Marketing and Sales Practices Litigation, 11-MD-2238, U.S. District Court Southern District of California, San Diego.